Britain will put growth at risk until it sorts out visa system, says Boris

“Race for the skies”: Boris outside the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur

The Government must sort out the visa system to open up Britain to faster growth, Boris Johnson will say today.

He will make the call while claiming that the country risks losing huge benefits if it closes itself off to ideas and talent from around the world.

The Mayor was also expected to call on Malaysian leaders to open their country to London’s powerhouse service sector. Mr Johnson is due to make his speech in Kuala Lumpur in a guest lecture which has previously been delivered by heads of government and a former UN Secretary General.

Setting out how Britain should capitalise on dynamic Far East economies, Mr Johnson will say: “We can do even better than we are now. We on the British side need to sort out our visa regime. We need to sort out our aviation so that there are more direct flights between London and Kuala Lumpur. On the Malaysian side, I believe more could be done to allow service companies to establish themselves.”

Earlier, Mr Johnson told the Standard about his frustration over a system which sees Malaysian students having to register for visas in the Philippines.

Following David Cameron’s proposals this week to clamp down on benefits tourism, Mr Johnson said he thought the number of people involved was probably “small”.

The Mayor will say in his speech tonight: “This is an unparalleled moment for trade and co-operation between our two countries. And if we are to exploit that moment to the full then it is vital that we stay open to each other and, indeed, that we increase our mutual openness.

“In the 21st century, we need to recognise that ideas — including great business ideas — must be able to cross frontiers.”

Mr Johnson will joke that his “sense of inadequacy was complete” when he ran through the Malaysian capital and saw the Petronas Towers, which are more than 100 metres taller than the Shard.

He will tell Malaysians that while they may win the “race for the skies”, the country should not underestimate London’s huge growth.

He will say: “You have an economy expanding at six per cent a year. We have the fastest and most dynamic economy in Europe. We have in London the most productive and competitive region in the entire EU, beating North Rhine-Westphalia.”

The Khazanah Global Lecture series that Mr Johnson was invited to take part in has previously featured former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, former Irish president Mary Robinson and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

His speech tonight was due to be attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and it follows his meetings with heads of government in Singapore and Indonesia.